ȚȞË ŖËŚȚ ÏŚ ŚȚÄŖĐŮŚȚ and darĸneѕѕ
by A Hopeless Dreamer -Floodtail
Summary: A prophecy. A quest. And a betrayal. When StarClan warns the Clans that disaster is coming, an ultimatum is given; four cats are chosen to stop it. But the chances of surviving- much less saving their families and homes- are minimal to none. Darkness is coming fast, a malevolent force is growing, and the only way to save the Clans lies in the secrets of stardust and darkness...
1. P R O L O G U E

**This has been bouncing 'round my head for ages. It's been sitting in Word for months. But now, I edited it, titled it, and plotted it.  
I present to you my newest story.**

_**Prologue **__****_

"There will be four to save us!"

A small dell was glowing with the light of stars. Three cats were inside, the shimmering light glowing, entwined in their fur.

One of them raised her head, and her words were clear and loud.  
"There is a prophecy."

Then, taking her eyes to the other two cats, she said, softer, but fast worded:

She yowled out.

"The quest is begun! May they save us all."

**ALLEGIANCES**

**ThunderClan**

**Leader:** Tanglestar—tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes and thick fur

**Deputy:** Thornpelt—black tom with spiky fur

**Medicine Cat:** Dappledpelt—beautiful russet and white spotted she cat

**Warriors:**

Nightpool- pitch black she cat with short fur and pale, ice blue eyes  
Snakefang—dark black tabby tom with glimmering green eyes

Alderfur—pale brown tom

Acornclaw—dark cream and brown tabby tom

Rainfrost—silvery blue she cat with white belly and blue eyes

Branchtail—scatterbrained brown tom with amber eyes

Eaglefeather—black, white, and brown tom with yellow eyes

Stormyheart—dark gray she cat with amber eyes

**Apprentices:**

Quickpaw—tri colored tom with blackish coloured eyes

Cougarpaw—pale yellow tom with black markings

Wildpaw—dark and pale ginger dappled she cat

Maplepaw—tortoiseshell and white she cat with gold eyes

Birchpaw—pale white/gray tom with black stripes

**Queens:**

Amberfur—pale ginger she cat with amber eyes, expecting Snakefang's kits

Duskpelt—calico she cat with bushy black tail, expecting Thornpelt's kits

**Elders:**

Ashpelt—dappled grey and black she cat

Forestheart—brown tom with warm green eyes

**RiverClan**

**Leader:** Flowerstar

**Deputy:** Rockstream

**Medicine Cat:** Cleargaze—pale white she cat with grey eyes

**Warriors:**

Duskfur—speckled ginger tom with warm brown stripes and amber eyes

Strikeclaw—black and brown rom

Fishleap—silver and black tom

Brookheart—silver and brown she cat

Streamsong—white and black she cat

Splashfur—dark grey and black tom

Silverstripe—white she cat with dark silver stripes

**Elders:**

Logpelt—dark brown tom

**WindClan**

**Leader:** Sparrowstar

**Deputy:** Lightfoot

**Medicine Cat: **Sleekpelt—thick furred black tom

**Warriors:  
**Larkflight—tabby and white she cat with golden eyes  
Bubbleheart—translucent white tom with pink eyes and large ears

Swirlstorm- colorless tom

Twigtail- brown tom

Tanglebrush—brown and cream tom

Dogheart—dark black and brown tom

Badgerclaw—black and white tom

Hareleap—long legged white she cat

**ShadowClan**

**Leader: **Darkstar

**Deputy**: Waterfang

**Medicine Cat:** Flywing

**Warriors:**

Cloudyfur—dark grey tom with black belly and white tufts

Blazeclaw—very bright ginger tom

Flickerpelt—black she cat with large white spots on her pelt

Chillfrost—cream coloured tom

Rowanbreeze—dark red she cat

**Queens: **

Puddlefur—blue she cat

**Elders:**

Marshfoot—dark tom with green eyes

Stardust, my mother has always told me, was what we are made of. _It's a circle, dear_, she had said, _we begin with stars, and we end as stars._

Little kitten me had not understood this. But now I think I do.

I'm Nightpool. Warrior. Warrior of ThunderClan.

I'm the eldest warrior of my Clan. I still have plenty of fight, though. My life will be given in service to my Clan.  
At least, that's what I thought.  
I'll start when it all began…

"_Tanglestar, _Tanglestar!" 

I lay by the nettle patch, grooming my fur. A half eaten mouse laid in front of me as I drowsed in the warm sun.

Our medicine cat burst of her den, her eyes wide. She yelled for our leader Tanglestar again, her tone higher pitched with urgency. 

Our massive, thick furred leader emerged from his den, looking slightly annoyed. "What is it, Dappledpelt?" 

Her eyes were going to pop out of her head, I thought in alarm. What could make her so scared?

She took a shallow breath, and announced with cool, calm certainty:  
"Disaster and death are coming for us all. We will be engulfed in darkness."

Tanglestar scraped his paw in the dust. "Speak, Dappledpelt! What do you mean? What has StarClan shown you?"

Her eyes darted to me briefly.

I blinked.

She looked back at Tanglestar, and said in that calm voice: "I was gathering herbs in the dream. But then a sour scent hit me. I looked back, and it there was a massive wave of pure, pitch black, swallowing up the entire forest. It was bigger than anything. And in it, I heard the screams of cats dying in the darkness. And the smell of blood." 

She shivered, and went on. "But the darkness stopped suddenly, just before it touched me. The smell of blood was replaced with smell of… something, something light and hopeful. The darkness turned into a dazzling light. I had to look away."

Again her eyes darted to me.

"A voice came from the darkness. It said, 'Disaster is coming. But you will not be without a guide. Then, it spoke a prophecy. _"As disaster falls and the doom will call, there will be four: one of the storm, one shadow-borne, the swift river blood, and the windy hood. One of the darkest pool in the night, secrets to be seen, another of the shadowed rowan tree, swaying in the breeze: Thirdly, the warrior of dusk, the day's and night's last light, and last there is the swift wind lark, calling in its flight."___

She took a deep breath.  
"It means; there is something coming to kill all the Clans. And our only hope is to send four warriors- one of each Clan- to stop it."

Tanglestar was staring at her with fear darkening his eyes. "Who?"

She raised her eyes to the sun and said softly,

"Nightpool will go to save us from death."

**R&R, and next chap will be longer, I swear, but this was a prologue. :)**


	2. C H A P T E R O N E

"_My car is limping, Dolores Haze, and the last long lap is the hardest…and I shall be dumped where the weeds decay, and the rest is rust and stardust."_

_~Vladimir Nabokov, 'Lolita'_

**I'm going to do a quote on each chap, yay :D Every even chapter will be Dusk/Night P.O.V, and every odd will be Rowan/Lark P.O.V. Now read on! ^^**__

_**Nightpool P.O.V**___

What? What? What?  
That one thought kept swirling around in my head, drowning me.

"N-no," I stammered. "No. Not me. You must mean… someone else. Not _me." _

Dappledpelt's eyes bore into me. Dark green. Stern. Narrowed.

"Come with me, at the half moon. Tonight. The Moonstone is waiting. StarClan is waiting, Nightpool. It is you they have called."

I was hardly aware of the speechless gazes of my Clan. All eyes were upon me. How could I be conscious of it-how, with the ultimatum delivered to me? _Go on the quest and succeed, or you along with everyone else will die._

_No choice.  
_I nodded slightly. "Yes." My voice squeaked, and I spoke louder and firmer.  
"Yes. I will. I will go with you tonight."

(****************)

_Prophecy, doom, death, chosen._ The four words kept repeating themselves over and over and over.

Dappledpelt stopped at the gaping mouth of a tunnel. She seemed to be waiting. Seeing my questioning look, she said darkly, "The other medicine cats are coming to discuss this."

"Oh." I sat down, curling my tail over my paws. The air was growing chilly and gusty, and I shivered, but not from the cold.

A crackle behind me announced the arrival of others. I turned rapidly, and saw six cats: three medicine cats, three warriors.

I recognized them all- how could I not? I had seen moons of Gatherings.

From RiverClan was the medicine cat Cleargaze and the burly warrior Duskfur. He nodded slightly- coolly- at me. WindClan was the cats Sleekpelt and Larkflight. Larkflight was a young warrior- how had she come to be here on this death mission?- and the swiftest cat in the Clans. Lastly there was Flywing and Rowanbreeze.

_We're all made of stardust, Nightkit._

_You're never alone…_

For any reason, my mother's soft voice echoed in my head. I shuddered.

Tonight, it seemed, was full of secrets.

_**Duskfur P.O.V**_

Duskfur is my name. I'm a simple warrior of RiverClan. My kin are all dead, my mate is dead, and I just want to serve to my best paws and then pass into StarClan.  
Ha. Simple! I thought so until now.

When Cleargaze prophecied darkness to kill us all, I was angry. Nothing could hurt my Clan. Nothing could kill them.

But not until now did I see how urgent this mission really was.

Nightpool from ThunderClan was the last cat I saw in this supposed 'prophecy.' It all fit. And that infuriated me.

I was to be torn away from my whole life for a quest I'd likely die on.

The stars seemed far away and cold suddenly. When we reached the cavern of the Moonstone, I backed up slightly. The pulsing, pure silver light reached into me somehow. The cold froze my bones. My heartbeat grew faster.

"All of you, touch your noses to the stone." Sleekpelt's voice came from behind the silver mass. 

Whatever this stone- this quest- was, it would reach into me and test what courage I had. What I was made of.

I would not fail.

(***)  
_**Duskfur P.O.V**_

When the darkness cleared away, I was in the hollow of Fourtrees. A warm breeze ruffled my fur.

A strong light, silver edged, was flooding from behind me. I turned and gaped.

Long forgotten faces of cats lost to me were in front of my eyes. There was my mother, my father, my sister…  
My mate.  
Bluepool… 

My heart ached. In her eyes were all the words we had never gotten to say, the words that there had been no time for and yet all the time in the world.

Why the hell she had been killed so young I did not know, but all that mattered was she was here, was in my eyes, was—

Was dead. Out of reach.

I tore my gaze away. Useless pain would do me nothing. I was well aware of the three other cats behind me, but I drank in my kin and my mate's appearances, storing it so it would be mine forever.

But as I stepped forward- a slight pace, ever so small- Bluepool stepped back, her tail up to signal me back, back, back.

I stepped back, but my heart tore even more with each grass-blade between I and her.

"Darkness is inevitably coming," Bluepool said, her voice ringing around the hollow. "These four- you are chosen. Rowanbreeze of ShadowClan, Nightpool of ThunderClan, Larkflight of WindClan, and Duskfur of RiverClan." Her voice lingered on his name, and he saw sadness and remorse so profound it hurt him just to look at her.

"You will travel north."

A small puddle began to grow at her paws, until it shimmered and rippled, reflecting a long range of mountains and moor and Two-leg land  
"You will cross Two leg place and then climb the mountains. After that, you will turn, heading opposite of the sea."

Bluepool looked up. "From then on you go alone."

"Alone?"

I glanced behind me to see the dark red Rowanbreeze staring at Bluepool with rage in her eyes. "Are you mad?" she growled. "Do you fancy sending us on a death quest?"

Bluepool's eyes were dull with sadness. I wanted to smack Rowanbreeze for her smart-talking to my mate like that.

"We have no choice," she said softly. "You must confront the darkness and stop it."

"Please," Larkflight piped up in a nervous voice, "Please, StarClan cat, what is this darkness? How do we stop it?"

Bluepool's eyes flashed, and she said firmly, "The answer to your question lies in the secrets of darkness…and stardust." 

A heard a small gasp from behind me and saw Nightpool, her jaw dropped. I flashed her a glance, inquisitive, and she shook her head slightly. "Fine. I'm fine."

Bluepool nodded, her tail raised. "You leave at dawn."

Then she looked at each of us in turn.  
"For the Clans' sake—do not fail." 


	3. C H A P T E R T W O

"_Come with me into the night and let us pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."_

_~J.K Rowling, Harry Potter  
_

_**Larkflight P.O.V**__  
_

Larkflight is what I am called.

I'm not your average warrior.

Different has always described me. I'm fast, fast, fast—even for WindClan. The wind breathes in me, and I love to race it, so fast I feel as though I could leave the moor and soar away forever.

But, it will not. And now I am destined to die on a mission to save the Clans from…. From something. Something bad.

The dawn sun has risen. We leave soon. I feel slightly comforted that there are three strong warriors with me. I'm barely a warrior.

_What did StarClan see in _me? _Me, the dreamer, me, the hopeless dreamer…_

I sighed and looked at the first pale dawn rays washing over my gorse camp. I got up. This could quite possibly the last time I saw my home.

We had designated to meet at Highstones. We had only a riddle prophecy, and a few, rough scrap ideas of where to go and what to do.

How the hell would we do this?

_You won't survive, _a viscous voice chanted inside me, _you'll fail the Clans. You're foolish and young and you'll hold them back-_

Shut up, I snarled back.

Soon Highstones loomed on the sun washed horizon. I stopped at the entrance to Mothermouth. I was the first one here.

A cold, sharp scent came on the wind that flowed from the cavern. It smelled of starlight and stone and water. 

I made a mental list. Maybe it would help clear things up…  
_One: There is a dark force coming to wipe out the Clans.  
Second: I'm one of the four being sent to stop it._

_Third: Chances of survival are small…  
Four: If we fail, us and everyone else dies._

So that wasn't good. Not at all. 

"Larkflight, was it?"

I whirled to see a slim, rather bored looking she cat with dark red fur standing there. I nodded quickly. 

"Rowanbreeze. ShadowClan." She introduced herself shortly and sat, her pale green eyes annoyed. Behind that, I could see fear- probably fear for herself and her Clan. 

"The others should be here soon," she said curtly. "Wonder what's keeping them. Sooner we go, sooner we get back."

"You're so sure that we'll get back?" I peered at her closely. "What if we die? Or if we fail? Aren't even a little bit scared?"

"That I'll be shamed because my failure killed everyone? Yes. But ShadowClan learns to hide, pinpoint, and kill fear. Fear is not going to conquer me, nor should it you. If you can walk about with a clear head, then you've already got an advantage."

"That's an odd way of looking at things," I replied. "Odd but useful."

"Yes."

We sat in silence. I was lost in thought for a few moments, and then a brash voice said beside me, "Well- we're here. We'd best go."

It was Duskfur and Nightpool. They both looked scared but determined.

I probably just looked scared.

We climbed Highstones. I was heaving by the time we reached the top, unused to climbing the steep knoll.

A highland moor sloped up to meet us at the top. I inhaled, the smell of heather and wind in my blood for a moment. I longed to run, run, run- and never return.

But we were here, and the journey was starting, and I had to be brave.

_**Rowanbreeze P.O.V**_

_****_I try and act tough, but really, I'm not.

Behind this tough exterior I'm showing, I'm terrified. Terrified I'll fail, terrified I'll be the weak link, and terrified for my own life as well as my Clan's.

Brave, it seems, is not fit for me. I don't know exactly what we'll be facing, but by the way the medicine cats were acting, it's very, very bad. Something not earthly, even. 

I'll die to save my Clan and any innocent cat. My mother says I lack the cruel streak that some ShadowClan cats have, the one that only lets them protect themselves and their Clan, but not me. If I had to put my life at risk for this quest, I would, because it's only the right thing to do.

At least that's what I think. I doubt I'd have the courage if the time actually came for sacrifice.

I've seen many battles and fights. I show no scars, but I have.

I'll get back to the journey now. We have moons' travels ahead of us.

The wind was blowing hard. Larkflight was bouncing around, looking impatient, as if she wanted to run ahead. She kept darting forward and doubling back.

"Don't waste your energy now," I chided her. "You may need it. This will be a dangerous mission, not a fun outing."

Her eyes dropped and she slowed. I felt bad. Was I too harsh on her?

I shook the thought away and kept walking. Gradually I fell into step beside Nightpool. 

"Hello," she said, "Rowanbreeze, was it?"

"Yes." 

"I'm Nightpool." 

I nodded, and the asked her a question that had been bugging me, "When the StarClan cat said to us… '_The answer to your question lies in the secret of stardust and darkness," _why did you look so shocked?"

Her ice blue eyes darkened, and she lowered her voice. "It's nothing really, it's just…" She sighed. "Promise you won't think I'm stupid for this?"

"Alright," I said, puzzled.

"When I was a kit, my mother always said to me, '_Nightkit, we begin and end in stardust.' _I never really understood her. I still don't, not quite. And not many cats know of stardust. Just the stars."

"Hmm," I murmured, deep in thought. "We don't begin or end as stardust though… We begin as… Well, you know." I felt my skin heat up with blush. "And we end as _stars. _What is stardust, anyway, and what's 'the secret' of it?"

"I don't know." She sighed.  
"We'll have to see as time wears on," I decided. "Hopefully we won't be alone."

Nightpool looked over at me, her ice reflecting the dawning sun. "We are never alone," she said, "Never."

But as she looked up at the fading gray sky, I caught her muttered whispered of,

"At least, I hope."  
_  
_


	4. C H A P T E R T H R E E

"_I need you, the reader, to imagine us, for we don't really exist if you don't."_

_~Vladimir Nabokov, 'Lolita'_

**I luffle Lolita quotes. They're so perfect :)**

_**Unknown P.O.V**_

I waited in the dark corner of the cave. I need to get out of here. But here they come. I must hide. Shh, shh, quietly. 

I ducked behind a spire of stone and listened, breathing shallow, quiet. _****_

"Masssssster," a rasping voice slithered from the darkness. "My wissssh isssss to sssserve you. My command issssss to raisssse you." 

"Cut the groveling," A dark voice hissed. "The moon is rising, and the cats have begun their quest to stop me." It let out a spurting rasp of laughter. "Foolish, foolish kitties with their foolish, foolish _prophecies." _It spat the last word with distaste.

"Massster, no-one is equivalent to your great power. No sssssoul can sssstop you."

"Good, good." The dark voice was deep and held that evil gem that made you shiver when it spoke. "The Clans and their brethren are dead in my eyes. Their slaughterment comes soon." It laughed- high pitched and malevolent.

The slithering voice stopped suddenly, and I waited, crouched in the darkness. _Oh God, don't let them see me, don't let them hear me._

__The coils of a snake inched past with agonizing slowness. I waited still, not daring to breathe.

I needed to get out of here, and soon.

_**Nightpool P.O.V  
**__  
_I walked alone for a while, the wind pushing back my whiskers. I thought of something else my mother had said, long ago, when I was still just a kitten.

'_Nightkit, you never know who someone really is until you've walked their path. Everyone has a story that will break your heart.'_

Yes, Mother, I thought to myself. Everyone_, including me._

I looked around myself. These other three- what were their stories?  
Duskfur, the RiverClan tom, seemed like an average warrior. But I had seen the pain, the sorrow, and the regret in his eyes when we were at Mothermouth. What was his tale?

Larkflight, even now, was staring ahead with something like loneliness and longing and hopelessness strong in her eyes. Why? She was a young warrior; what dreams did she have and why was she sheltering such emotions already?

Rowanbreeze looked fearful and yet determined. I never thought ShadowClan could be fearful. 

I was sure that my mother was right. She had known something. Known I was destined for something big.  
_  
And this was it. _

__I know I have a story to break a heart.

But it's not the right time to tell. 

Not yet.

_**Duskfur P.O.V**_

The medicine cat had pulled me aside before I left for highstones. His words still rang fresh in my mind.

"You will do heroic things on this mission, true," he had rasped. "But this journey is more important than stopping evil—you will discover more about yourself and the hearts of others than you had ever known."

When I'd questioned him, he had said, "Good luck," and gone off, leaving me to go to Highstones with a troubled mind.  
I walked along. Lagging behind the rest of the group gave me some solace—I could face any surprise attacks.

The first creamy streaks of gold were spreading across the flame and pink sky. The soft grey of pre-dawn was fading.

But still I had left my heart, my heart… it was still in StarClan with Bluepool.

_Maybe if you weren't such a coward she'd be with you today, _a small voice taunted me. _You let her die, after all…_

I blinked miserably.

"Hey!" 

A voice jerked me out my thoughts. I looked up to see Larkflight bouncing around, her previous nervousness gone. "Look!" she chirped. "I see the mountains!"

Rowanbreeze growled softly. "On the horizon. We're still one, maybe two quarter moons away, not counting any injuries that could happen."  
"It's fine," Nightpool said to Larkflight. "It means we're on the right path. Look, Highstones is already farther away."

I looked behind me in surprise. Sure enough, we had been trekking long enough to put a fair amount of distance between us and the stones.

"I guess this is really it then," Rowanbreeze said, echoing my thoughts. "We're really doing this." 

She averted her pale green eyes. "I just hope we manage to save our families."

"We will," I heard myself saying firmly. "I'll die before anything lays a claw on them!"

The sun was now high in the sky. It was late morning now, and my stomach was howling at me.

"Can we hunt?" I asked Nightpool. "I'm starving." 

"I never knew a RiverClan cat not to pass up the chance of food," she teased lightly. "But yes, that's a good idea. I don't know if it's safe to go near Twolegplace- not yet."

A small grove of trees shadowed the near horizon. When we reached it, I flopped down gratefully on a small patch of grass.

"I can hunt," Larkflight meowed quickly.

"Alright," Nightpool decided, taking charge, "To each cat their own, I suppose. Don't stray too far." Her eyes darted around. "We don't know this place at all."

I heaved myself up, pricking my ears for the sound of a brook, a stream, a creek—anything would do.

I soon heard a bubbling, rushing sound. A small river—more of a large stream—wound its way past the trees. Lucklily it had some fish.

Soon I had caught three minnows and a carp. I picked them up and trotted back to the place we had stopped. 

Sitting down and settling myself, I began to eat. 

**Lame ending and short chap, but I had to move on. Hope you're enjoying so far! The point is that each cat has had a tragic event in their past that you don't know and they haven't said, or thought of. But soon it will all unfold…**

__


	5. C H A P T E R F O U R

"_This is not something you just sort of go, oh, got carjacked and shot, all right, move on-you don't just move on."  
~Elizabeth Vargas__  
_

_**Larkflight P.O.V**_

When Nightpool told us to hunt, I was exhilarated, here I could run and think. Get away for a bit.

I took a few steps, and then began to pick up speed, faster than any WindClan cat. My ears and whiskers and fur streamed back in the pure, sharp, clear and cold wind.

At that moment, I truly believed I could fly away from it all.

Then reality slammed me back to earth, and I sighed, my eyes stinging. Partly from the wind. Partly from my tears.

_Weakling. _The bitter voice inside me snarled._ Can't go far without crying, can you? But then again… you're a coward, Larkflight. Couldn't even save—_

"No," I murmured. "No, I'm not thinking about that again. It's over. Done. Not a path I'm re-living. 

_But you're still a coward. _The voice sniggered. _A foolish, hopeless dreamer, hoping for the stars and falling oh, so, so short of them…_

__This voice wouldn't go away. Never. Never. Never. 

I whimpered slightly, the small sound escaping before I could squash it down.  
"Weakness, they've told me, is common. But I think you're a strong one. Strong enough to be chosen by StarClan."

I whirled, blinking. Rowanbreeze stood there, a large rat in her jaws. She narrowed her leaf-green eyes against the glare of the sun.

"That's _disgusting," _I said bluntly. "You would eat that?"

"I would," she meowed shortly, and then said, "That was a fast bit of running, there. Maybe even fast enough to even keep up with a monster."

"Really?" I gaped at her. 

She smiled- a quick, lit flash across her face. "Really."

"Thanks. I'll… I guess I should hunt now." I sniffed the air.

No prey.

Sniff.

No prey. 

Sniff.

Hare! 

I crouched in the golden grass, squinting against the bright sun. A small rabbit was hopping around, nibbling the sage and clover.

It was out of reach for a normal cat. It would be lucky catch for a WindClanner.  
For me it was certain.

I sprang from the grass, a flash of brown, and sprinted. The hare raised its head, twitched its nose, and then dashed away in a streak of dusty gray.

But this was my catch. I could feel my paws skimming the grass, closing in, speed speed speed- 

"_Mreow!"_

__The rabbit fell, dead. But my claws had not killed it. In fact, I had still had a few cat-lengths before I could have touched it.

The predator was a _huge _brown and ginger tom—dark red and dusty brown flecks. He thrust his head into my face aggressively.

"You gonna take my prey from my meadow, sweetie? I don' _think _so!"

"I'm sorry!" I scrambled back, my heart in my throat. Rowanbreeze was out of sight—probably headed back to the small forest. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't know—"

"Well, hon, now ya do." He peered at me curiously, the aggression vanished suddenly. "Say, that was some hella fast runnin there." 

"Uh… thanks. It's in my blood."

"Your blood, eh?" He chuckled raspily. "Ain't none 'bout blood so much as practice, sweetheart." 

"I've inherited speed from generations back in my Clan!" I fired back.

"Clan, ah. I see then. You're one o' those fancy-smhancy fightin' cats from down south at them there big forest that take o-ffense at everythin'?"

"Yes," I retorted proudly, tossing my head. "I _am."  
_

He snorted. "Ya look awfully small, honey. Nowhere near big enough to be fightin' off others."

I couldn't think of a retort to that, so I sniffed. "I have to be going now," I replied, my voice higher pitched with fear. This was all too familiar to that fateful scene,that shattered past and broken dream that happened so few moons ago—no. Don't _go _there.

"Alright," he rumbled. "If you be goin' in the city—that's them big things o'er there—" He pointed with his tail to the Twolegplace—"Ask aroun' for Cayenne. That's me. I'm somewhat of a hotshot in the city." He winked. "Bye now, darlin'."

"Thank you," I said shortly, and then almost killed myself trying to run, run-

Run away from him and the memories engulfing me. 

_**Rowanbreeze P.O.V  
**_  
I headed back to the grove of trees after talking with Larkflight. I was actually rather impressed—no cat could run that fast, at least not one I knew.

My own paws felt heavy and clumsy now. I stopped, reaching the edge of the trees.

"Duskfur!" I called out. "Nightpool? You there?"

"Shut up. We don't know what's lurking around."

I jerked my head to the left to see Duskfur eating a carp, his ginger-brown fur concealed under the gold-green grass. 

"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine," I retorted.

He rolled his eyes and tore back into the fish. I looked around, and then saw Larkflight on the rise of the hill. The hare was not in her jaws.

"What happened?" I called. "You can't have lost that hare. There's no way."

Her cheeks blushed, and she muttered, "It- it dove in a hole."

I looked closely at her. She was lying. I was sure of it.

"Hopefully Nightpool has something for you," I said, "Because I doubt you'd want a rat."

She shuddered.

"Anyway," I meowed briskly, "We should ask around if any cats have seen this… this thing. It's got to be someplace. We have no idea the strength of it, what it is, where it is—we're virtually lost."

I swallowed, the truth of my words hitting me. We were off on a dangerous mission with nowhere and no idea to go.

_I hate this,_ I thought bitterly. _Stupid quest, stupid 'evil'._

"Eat quick. We need to get moving again." The voice of Nightpool came from the bushes, and she emerged with a finch and a squirrel in her jaws.

"Um, Nightpool," Larkflight muttered, "I kind of lost my prey…"

"It's fine." Nightpool sighed and tossed her the finch.

Larkflight bit into it, her features twisted.

"What?" I asked her.

Larkflight looked up, her voice muffled as she chewed. "I've nefer eathen birdths before, jusht rabbiths." Her golden eyes were surprised. She swallowed and said, "It's not half-bad."

Nightpool smiled.

Duskfur, however, said darkly: "Good. You need to get used to eating whatever is available. I have a feeling this won't be easy." 

"Of course it won't," Nightpool said, "But we have to try. That's all StarClan expects of us, for now."

_For now._


	6. C H A P T E R F I V E

"_No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse." _

_~Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture___

_**Nightpool P.O.V**_

We set off soon after that, setting a brisk pace toward the ominous, looming Twolegplace.

"We can make it before nightfall," said I, "If we hurry."

So we half-ran, half-walked, energy slowly draining from us. The sun warmed my thick black pelt quickly, and soon I was panting with heat and exertion. Gradually, we slowed. And still the massive maze of nests seemed to be no closer.

I flopped in the long grass. "C… can't… go… anymore." My breath rasped through my jaws. "Need… water."

Duskfur prodded me with a paw. "Come on. If you can't stand a little fatigue, you might as well just turn around and go home, because you're going to face worse."

His words were harsh but true. I struggled up, ignoring the others' glances.  
"Okay. Fine. I'm fine."

"Then come on. We have a ways to go." He padded off, his sleek golden-ginger fur blending with the grass.

(******************)

We reached it much later, when the moon was rising and the stars began to twinkle on us. We paused at the edge for a moment, staring into the blend of harsh orange Twoleg light, dappled with thick, unnatural shadow. 

I thought I could hear the scream of a cat from the depths.

It was Rowanbreeze who broke the silence, pushing forward. "Come on," she said roughly. "We're not scared of the dark, are we?"

"Easy for _you _to say," muttered Duskfur sulkily.

Anyway, we slunk into the darkness. All of us blended into the shadows, except for Larkflight, with her creamy white underbelly that glowed through the dark.

I should have known that would get us in trouble. Should've known, and maybe none of it would have happened.

Yowls screamed out from all over the city—a community, and a violent one—lived here.

That, again, should have warned me that these weren't soft kittypets.

Suddenly, I felt a shift in the air.

We were surrounded.

_**Duskfur P.O.V**_

Eyes glowed at us. A circle of brawny, scarred, shifty eyed cats were in a ring around us. There was click after click of claws scratching the ground. 

A large cat stepped forward—rippling muscles, patchy fur, torn ears and scars crisscrossing his pelt. His eyes were orbs of pale yellow fire and his short ragged fur the colour of dark red fire, probably darker by day.

"What business have you in the city, strangers?"

His voice was a deep, threatening, rasping rumble.

I stepped forward, shielding the other three she cats, who were obviously scared of these strange rogues. "Excuse us," I said politely but firmly. "We're just passing through."

He laughed. "Passing through, huh?" Then his eyes narrowed, and the laugh died. "Don't you know that you gotta see the Boss to pass through?"

I opened my mouth to snarl—but then the circle pressed forward, and there were howls of battle as they fought to capture us. 

Obviously we lost the battle; we were stronger and elite, but they had sheer numbers, and we were beaten into a ragged group.

"Move!"

They moved us quickly through the night. I snarled in anger, my fur making me twice as big. "You can't do this!" I hissed. 

The tom with the pale yellow eyes glared at me balefully. "Oh, but I can. And I am. Now shut up, and move on!"

(******************)

They stopped before a broken, crumbling nest. The holes in the wall had shards of clear stuff—like ice, but not cold. The heavy scent of other strange cats was in the air.

A large tom with similar fur to the one that had led us here scrambled out of the hole punched in the wall.

I thought I heard Larkflight murmur something as she saw the tom. I gave her a glance, but then turned my attention back to the tom that was approaching us with a swagger.

His eyes landed on Larkflight. A flash of recognition went through them—something was up.

He looked at me. "I presume you are the leader, then, of this rag-tag group?" His words were provoking, but his eyes were not hostile—not presently.

"Yes." I wasn't, but anything to get us out of here.

"Well then. What business do you have in the city?"

"I told him," I said with gritted teeth, throwing a disdainful glare to the tom that had captured and forced us here, "We are just passing through."

The tom's eyes were blank now—expressionless. "Maeran!" He called over his shoulder.

A marbled black tom appeared. "Yes, sir, Lord Ignis, sir. Reporting, sir."

The tom looked at us. "Throw them in the cell. Top level. Tobias and Quillen's cell. Food and water once a day." 

"What?" My voice exploded in fury. "You can't keep us here!"

The tom's voice was dismissive, amused. "But I can, son, I can."

Next thing I knew we were in a dark hole in the wall. It was musty, and the steady _pink-plink-plink _of dripping water echoed from the shady depths. 

I saw a pair of glowing blue eyes in the dark. "Prisoners?" The voice was raspy, like it hadn't been used in a while. 

"Who are you?" I snapped, angry and still in shock. We had no time to lose—not stuck here with some dimwits instead of fighting off evil!

"My name is Quillen," he replied softly, "And, as my brother, have been stuck here for moons and moons."

"Why?" 

"We were caught 'stealing' food," Quillen replied, "The city has become a harsh place. Fight or die. Eat, or starve. It's every cat for themselves. It's a lawless, bloody time—cats, 'bosses', rising to power by sheer strength." His eyes darkened. "Compassion and sympathy for those weaker has gone straight out the window."

I growled. "But that's not fair!"

"You think anything in life is fair?" He gave me a hard stare. "We were given a better cell—at least we get food." He shivered. "Our infraction was minor. But others—"

An agonized scream came from below us. It was muffled and it cut off quickly. Abruptly.

"Well, that just about explains it."  
The grim voice came from another cat with pale yellow eyes, who slunk from the darkness. "Tobias," he introduced himself. "Quillen's brother."

"Wh-what was that scream?" The trembling voice of Larkflight came from a corner. 

"Someone being killed," Quillen said grimly, "Or tortured, more likely. I hope to God that Cayenne will end Ignis's rule of tyranny, but it's more likely Meochi's going to take over." His blue eyes flashed anger.

"Say that again," I said, "And explain the names, will you."

"This city," he told me, "Is ruled by Ignis. The cat that had you put here in this hellhole cell. His son, Meochi, (pronounced: MEE-oh-KAI) is the one that captured. His other, youngest, son is Cayenne, and he is merciful. Everyone in the city hopes Cayenne will inherit rule, but it's more likely Meochi will because he's older."

"So when will we get out of here?" Nightpool spoke up, her ice eyes glimmering with anger.

"If you're lucky," Tobias laughed, "Moons, and moons, and moons. No one ever really goes, you see—Ignis forgets." 

"But that's… that's…" Rowanbreeze was spluttering with rage. "How come no one has rebelled?"  
"They're scared, because Ignis has an army of his own," replied Quillen dully. "This'll never end without mass war, and let's face it, who'd do that? Lots of cats would die. Humans would notice."

"Humans?"

"You know—the two-legged creatures." Tobias sighed. "But the point is, you're not very likely to get out of here." 

Quillen growled.

"No," he said slowly, "Not unless we do something…"


	7. C H A P T E R S I X

"_The funny thing is, we could be standing next to someone completely broken, and not even know it."  
~Anonymous_

__The next few days were pure misery. We waited—alone in the darkness, hearing the screams below and not being able to do anything in this strange new place. 

Tobias and Quillen were kind—sharing food, listening to our tales. They looked doubtful at times of the prophecy we spoke of, though, and even more so when we mentioned StarClan.

Two or three days after the capture, though, Nightpool stood at the bars of the 'cell' and stared into the thick shadows—out of this prison. "I'm forming a plan," she meowed softly to me. "Here's the rough bit of it. These bars are about as thick as my paw, see—" She held out her narrow paw, about the width of a pinecone—"And, the spaces in between are as thick as my tail." 

"So trying to squeeze through them is impossible," I mused, "How would we get out?"

"That's the idea," she said, her eyes sparkling with hope. "Look. These bars are really old—rusted and crumbling. Tobias and Quillen aren't warriors. Not strong enough to break them. But if we got Duskfur and Rowanbreeze to slam them over and over—"

"They could break!" I burst out, and then quieted, afraid a cat could hear me. 

"Exactly, but the catch is running. They have guards. They'd likely see or hear us and then catch us and put us below." A howl of a cat punctuated her words with gruesome reality.

"We'd have to use all our skills," she went on, "But I think we could do it, Larkflight, this really could work!"

"I couldn't help hearing you," rasped Quillen, melting from the shadow. "But they have guards—I mean lots of them. And the escape is one floor below. How—" 

"We jump out the holes in the wall. We'd be injured but alive and free."

"H'mm," Quillen said. "Maybe. Maybe. That might just work."

The next days we silently watched the guards, looking for a break where we could run. Gradually we worked out a plan, when they were eating farther away from the cells. They'd be lazy from food and sun, and slow, whereas we'd be determined and full of adrenaline.

Duskfur put the plan into action.

Duskfur slammed against the bars, his heavy shoulder pressing them. Fractures slowly spread, hairline but there. 

He stopped soon, his shoulder a dull shade of red. "Can't," he grunted in pain. "Hurts."

"Rowanbreeze, go." Nightpool murmured.  
Rowanbreeze charged at it, slamming flank first into it with all her strength. 

_CRACK!_

The bar split in two, crumbling down, making a narrow cat-space. "Go go go!" Nightpool whispered. "Everyone run and meet me at the moor edge!"

It was chaos after that. I heard a shout of, "Escapees! Catch them or Ignis will skin you alive!" 

My mind shut down. My speed took over. I dodged the clumps of dirt and other guards. The window loomed closer. I sprang to the top, hesitated a split second at the dizzying drop below.

"_GO!" _

I leaped.

I froze for a moment- time suspended. I saw distinctly, clearly, Nightpool streaking away into the distance, Rowanbreeze perched, readying herself to jump, Duskfur falling below me.  
Then with a rush of speed, it unfroze, and I was plummeting.

I hit the ground with a burst of agony, rolled, and then was running, sprinting, despite the howling pain in my paws.

Teeth snapped at my tail. Rogues and guards were chasing me, but I poured on speed, running faster than I ever, ever had.

Then a thought sprang to my mind with startling clarity, and I turned, and yelled.

"Tobias! Quillen!"

We had left them behind!

(***************)

_**Rowanbreeze P.O.V**_

I dropped like a stone, wind whistling in my face. I landed on my feet in, luckily, in a patch of greasy grass and bitter smelling soil.

I was surrounded immediately. I yowled at them, an eerie wail, my eyes slits of furious green.  
"Get out of here," I snarled, "Or I swear to StarClan I'll kill you and feed your remains to the dogs!" I punctuated my words with my claws.

They fled, screeching, and I ran as fast as I could to the moor edge, when a howl rang out. "Tobias, Quillen!" 

I cursed under my breath. Were we supposed to go and get them? What if we got caught?

_Honorable. You need to do what is right, Rowanbreeze.  
_

I turned and sprang over the wave of city cats, enjoying their awestruck looks. I ran back to where Quillen and Tobias were ringed in a circle. Cats—and their Lord Ignis, and his two sons. One of them was wearing a malevolent expression—the one that had caught us. I assumed it was Meochi. The other one looked uncertain, and doubtful. He was what… Cayenne?

"_You… _tried to _run…" _hissed Ignis. "You will pay."

I jumped on his back, clawing as hard as I could. "Run!" I shouted at Quillen and Tobias. "Run and don't come back!"

They streaked off in an ash coloured blur, toward where Nightpool and Duskfur and Larkflight were—hopefully—waiting for them. 

Ignis turned on me, his eyes flaming slits, and he opened his jaws-

"_GO…_ Run! I'll be after you!" Someone had yelled that, bowling over Ignis again.

Not sticking around, I pelted away, toward the meadow, where the others awaited me.

**So… yeah. Our stay in the city as well as the cells was short, but I have a timeline here, heehee :)  
Tobias, Quillen, AND Cayenne will be BIG characters. If you didn't guess, it was Cayenne who knocked Ignis over and yelled at Rowanbreeze to run. Also, Meochi might be a big char. I haven't decided yet.  
**

**Oooh, reviews, goody! Fun Fact: Ignis means 'flame' in Latin. Hmm….**


End file.
